(Media release from the Rome Braves):
The Rome Braves would look to extend their win streak to three in a row on Thursday night as they continued their six game series with the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
Daniel Martinez would toe the rubber for the Braves in game two of the series. Entering Thursday’s contest, Martinez had been one of the more dominant pitchers on the Braves staff. Enough so that Martinez would be recognized as the May player of the month prior to the game.
However, the Hot Rods would pay no mind to Martinez’s solid season and jump on the righty early. Brock Jones would homer on the first pitch he saw, giving Bowling Green starting pitcher Sean Harney a one run cushion before he even took the mound. Harney would be tagged as the ‘opener’ for the Hot Rods on Thursday, going only three and two thirds of an inning before making way for Cade Halemanu. Halemanu and Alfredo Zarraga would combine to cover the last five and a third of an inning, keeping the Rome offense at bay.
The Braves would get on the board in the home half of the third inning as a Nacho Alvarez Jr single would plate Bryson Horne. At the time, the run would knot the game up at one run each, but that would be the closest Rome got to the lead all night. The Braves would tack on two more runs in the sixth and seventh, as Keshawn Ogans and Nacho Alvarez Jr would each contribute to the cause.
The seven to three loss is Rome’s thirty-ninth of the season and their third of the second half. Bowling Green now moves to two games above a five hundred winning percentage with their thirty-fourth win of the 2023 campaign.
The Braves and Hot Rods will continue the series on Friday night as Luis Vargas is slated to start for Rome.
